A visual feast

The floral arrangements share as much space as Christmas trees and other holiday decor by Tivoli Florist.

Photograph by: Pat McGrath
, Ottawa Citizen

If a dog had wandered in, Michael Corbeil would likely have draped a sprig of holly over its nose. The owner of Tivoli Florist and his crew are nothing if not inclusive when they tackle a Christmas decor project.

In the case of this older, recently renovated Glebe home, that means a front garden spiked with topiary balls, sparkly stars and branches of red dogwood. The front door sports a double wreath embroidered with pretty rosehips and deep red ochre. Inside, bells and feathered birds and a gold bow perch in the foyer's Christmas tree ("Artificial?" responds Corbeil with alarm to a reporter's thoughtless question. "We don't do artificial!").

An evergreen garland with striped ribbon cascades down the main staircase and floral and other arrangements - many flamboyant and surprising, all of them visually delicious - await at every turn including the second floor, where a trio of bearded Santa heads gaze serenely from a bed and the hallway aquarium has its own splash of flowery Christmas joy. Even the backyard chimes "Yuletide!" with spruce and pine and silver filigreed balls decorating a balcony while more evergreen, gold pine cones and festive ribbon lend a buoyant air to an old outdoor table.

Against all odds, the riot of colour and texture and exuberance works. It taps into the elegance, the fun, the warmth of this home with its transom windows, deep white baseboards, rich chocolate kitchen cabinets and sleek stainless-steel appliances.

Corbeil, as is his wont, is still streaking around pushing back his shoulder-length hair as he adds final touches just minutes before the doors open to the public.

He's both proud and a little bewildered at himself for being the only florist who's done Homes for the Holidays every year of its decade-long existence.

"After the first time, I said, 'Omi-god, I'm never doing this again! It's so much work and it costs us a for-tune.' But it's a great cause and everybody always likes what we do."

The oohs and ahhs from the first few visitors through the door suggest his work is, once again, a hit.

Corbeil says that with a home as big as this one, he doesn't try to develop a single, overarching theme. Instead, he trusts his staff to create pieces appropriate to each space, making for variation from room to room.

In the living room, for instance, a tablescape occupies a large coffee table. It's composed of multiple smaller arrangements of mini cymbidium, roses and more. If one part of the arrangement "fails" (i.e., dries up and dies), it's readily replaced.

The dining room table sports a series of small arrangements of ilex and clementines and more. Reflected in a wall mirror, the reds and oranges and other colours are a visual charmer.

In that trim, modern kitchen, whites and greens carry the day thanks to paperwhites, compact rosemary trees and more.

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